Recipes › Kohlrabi › Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw with Caraway and Crème Fraîche
Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw with Caraway and Crème Fraîche
A crisp, refreshing slaw where kohlrabi does the heavy lifting — shredded into thin matchsticks and tossed with tart apple, toasted caraway, and a tangy crème fraîche dressing. This comes together in under 20 minutes and is the kind of side that makes people ask what the secret ingredient is. Perfect alongside grilled meat or fish, or piled into a sandwich.
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Ingredients
- 600 g Kohlrabi, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 Bramley or other tart eating apple, cored and cut into thin matchsticksor use a firm Granny Smith
- 1 tsp Caraway seeds
- 120 g Crème fraîcheor use full-fat Greek yoghurt
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp White wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Caster sugar
- 1 tsp Fine sea salt
- 15 g Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 pinch Black pepper, freshly ground
Contains: milk, mustard, sulphites.
Method
- Place the kohlrabi matchsticks in a colander, toss with the fine sea salt, and leave to stand for 10 minutes. This draws out excess moisture so your slaw stays crisp rather than watery.About 10 min
- While the kohlrabi is draining, toast the caraway seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Watch them carefully — they turn bitter quickly. Remove from the heat immediately and tip onto a plate to cool.About 2 min
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, caster sugar, and a generous grind of black pepper until smooth.
- Rinse the salted kohlrabi under cold running water, then squeeze it firmly in a clean tea towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Add the kohlrabi, apple matchsticks, toasted caraway seeds, and chopped parsley to the dressing. Toss everything together thoroughly until evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning — you may want a little more vinegar or sugar depending on the sweetness of your apple.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving. Beyond that the apple starts to discolour and the slaw softens.
Tips
- Don't skip the salting step — kohlrabi holds a surprising amount of water and without it your dressing will be diluted within minutes.
- Cut everything to a similar size so you get a bit of each component in every forkful. About 4–5cm long and 3–4mm thick is ideal.
- If you grow kohlrabi yourself, use the tender young leaves too — shred them finely and toss them in with everything else.
Ring the changes
- Swap the crème fraîche for a tahini and lemon dressing and omit the mustard for a dairy-free version with a more earthy flavour.
- Add 50g of toasted walnuts and a handful of raisins to turn this into something more substantial that works as a light lunch on its own.
Keeping it
Best eaten on the day it is made. If you need to prepare ahead, keep the dressed kohlrabi separate from the apple and combine just before serving. The kohlrabi alone will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours once salted and dressed.
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